


Triptych - Narcissa

by marginalia



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-11-08
Updated: 2004-11-08
Packaged: 2018-10-10 17:13:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10442970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marginalia/pseuds/marginalia





	

Narcissa had never been one to turn down knowledge, no matter the bloodline of the source. She learned the ancient magic, the history beyond it, and the stories that bore more truth than either of these. Then she learned to hide it all.

Lucius never knew of her scrying bowl, her power a hum too low for him to hear. Only when she was certain he had given her a boy did she allow it to reach the quickening. She provided the illusion of control when she allowed him to name the baby, the child his heir, not her rival.

::

She told Draco that Durmstrang was too far away and he believed this to be her sole reason. He bore the meaning of her name much truer than she did.

The distance was a flimsy excuse. There was a Black family legacy to be reclaimed at Hogwarts, and there would be students of all backgrounds in attendance. Narcissa was no idealist, however. One must keep very close to one's enemies, and there is no better way to discover weakness than by living and working with someone.

Draco tells her it all unawares, through complaints, omission, and her skill in Potions.

::

They are both gone now, or they may as well be. Lucius's body could not long outlast the loss of his soul. Draco is in hiding, and she knows not where. She will have nothing to do with such a coward. He is dead to her, to the Malfoy line.

Narcissa will never be the woman who protests too much. She knows the strength in silence and she will reveal nothing of herself beyond the shimmer in the mirror. She is a Black, she is powerful, and she will outlast them all, regardless of what blood runs through their veins.


End file.
